What Happened to Sakura Mikan?
by Procrastination Fairy
Summary: Only 3 months ago, Hotaru and her class visited her village and met Sakura Mikan, Hotaru's cheerful best friend. Now, according the country of Japan, no one named Sakura Mikan has ever existed.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, right now, I don't really have anything to say, so I guess I'll let you read the story then.**

"_Hotaru! How could you not tell me? N-now we'll never see each other again!"_

"_Stop that, idiot. I'll visit."_

"_O-okay… but you have to promise!"_

"_Whatever, stupid."_

It has now been 6 years since the then 10-year-olds have parted.

* * *

><p>"Good morning, class!" the blonde teacher cried cheerfully as he span into the room. Morning sunlight glittered in the air, but the class only seemed tired. The teenagers (who had been talking) groaned and turned in their desks to face him with a lifeless greeting.<p>

"Good morning, Narumi-sensei…"

Narumi grinned. "Well, I have a surprise for you, class! The principal is allowing everyone to visit one of our students' hometowns this summer! Of course, he's coming along to help supervise. Something about me not being a good role model…"

The seemingly innocent information sparked every member of the classroom's interest. The squeaking of the chairs certainly proved that.

"We'll be choosing through a drawing. And here we go!" The teacher dug around a hat that appeared from thin air. The students leaned forward in their desks to get a closer view. They murmured among themselves.

A green-haired girl leaned over to her seatmate and whispered, "I hope its Natsume-sama and Ruka-sama's." The raven-haired girl nodded in agreement.

Narumi removed a slip of paper and read it aloud. "Imai-san, it seems we'll be going to your home."

A violet-eyed beauty released her hold on her book. Although she did not smile, her aura seemed slightly happier. The rest of the class deflated.

"Why do we have to go to her town?"

"Yeah, I bet no one wants her back anyway!"

The teacher frowned. "Now, now, play nice. I'll see all soon!" he cooed.

* * *

><p>The teenagers shuffled around the train car in boredom. The seats were hard, it was getting late, and most of them didn't understand why they were going. Hours passed, but none of them seemed to recognize the area.<p>

Finally, someone stepped up

"Where are we going, Imai?" a claret-eyed boy demanded gruffly.

"My hometown, Hyuuga. What did you expect?" Hotaru replied gently.

"Imai…"

"It's remote, Hyuuga. You wouldn't know, so it doesn't matter."

More time passed until Narumi slid the door open.

"We're here, everyone!"

The students piled onto the sidewalk (actually, it was dirt) of a sunny village. The peaceful serenity of Hotaru's roots seemed to disturb them. Dust covered their private school shoes as the briefly examined their surroundings.

"Imai-chan! You're home!" a gaggle of girls giggled.

"Aiko-san. Suki-san. Rima-san," she called quietly.

"Mikan-chan's still at the tennis courts—she wanted extra practice—but she should finish up in about 15 minutes and then she'll come to get a snow cone, you'll see her soon!" Aiko explained. Hotaru nodded and turned to her class.

"You may explore the area, but I will not show you around yet. I'm waiting for Mikan."

Nobody else seemed to know what was going on so they dispersed. The time passed quickly.

"Hotaru! Why didn't you tell me you were visiting? You meanie! You hardly _ever_ wrote! Liar!"

Everyone turned the brunette who was apparently Mikan. Her hair was pulled back rather messily, although that was to be expected after practice. Her big brown eyes were bright with annoyance and her face was streaked with sweat.

Baka. Baka. Baka.

"Ow! That hurts even more than the first one," Mikan whined.

"It's your fault. You were getting me covered in sweat."

Luckily, Narumi chose that moment to interfere. "You must be Hotaru's friend!"

Mikan smiled. "Yep! I'm Sakura Mikan, but please don't call me Sakura-san. Mikan-chan's just fine! It's nice to meet you, Oji-san."

Narumi smiled sadly in response.

"…Hey, Oji-san? Is something wrong?"

"No, Mikan-chan. You just remind me of someone I knew a long time ago… Ah! I haven't introduced myself. I'm Narumi Anju, but you may call me Narumi-sensei since Imai-san does!"

"Okay," Mikan giggled.

"Would you mind helping Hotaru with the tour around town tomorrow? She hasn't been in here in a long time, so some things may have changed… Plus, we're all tired. We'd like to get some rest before we have fun."

"Things rarely change around here," Mikan corrected. "But I'd be happy to!"

Narumi called attention from the class. "This is Sakura Mikan. She'll be showing you around town tomorrow."

* * *

><p>"Good morning, Gakuen Alice students!" Mikan yelled through the door.<p>

"Quiet! You're going to get us kicked out," one of them replied.

"Besides, it's too early to get up!"

Mikan sighed and removed the room card from her jacket pocket.

"H-how'd you get in here?" one of the girls shrieked.

"Narumi-sensei gave me a key. Everyone else is awake. Get up so we can have breakfast."

Mikan the left the other students and headed to the breakfast area.

"Mikan," Hotaru greeted before taking another bite of crab.

"Ooh, they have a waffle maker!" Mikan cheered as she fixed her breakfast. "We're going to have fun today at the fair!"

* * *

><p>"Alright, I want to the ride the rollercoasters and stuff. If you want to go to the food court, go with Hotaru. You can also off on your own, but…" Mikan exclaimed. Most of the students branched off on their own, leaving only a couple to relax together.<p>

It was then the "gang", consisting of Umenomiya Anna, Ogasawara Nonoko, Shouda Sumira, Usami Wakako, Yome Kokoro, Kitsuneme, Tobita Yuu, Mochiage, Hyuuga Natsume, Nogi Ruka, Imai Hotaru, and of course, Sakura Mikan, was formed.

Mikan was a sweet child. Everyone seemed to love her, many wondering why she was friends with the Ice Queen. Even Hyuuga and Nogi grew a friendship with the girl.

But Hotaru knew better.

Mikan's eyes had dimmed, holding a bittersweet sadness as she gazed upon each student, as if she knew better.

But what could innocent Mikan know of that? The blood, the battles, the mentally scarring moments that every student experienced, all the things that shouldn't exist near Mikan, in her world of unicorns and rainbows, of princesses and fairy tales.

Her smile was more controlled, less cheerful and more comforting, much too gentle for loud-mouthed Mikan.

Her hair, which Hotaru still expected to be in pigtails, was chopped off short. Mikan claimed it was for track, that is was more aerodynamic. But Hotaru knew Mikan was too clumsy for that sport.

But why would Mikan lie about that?

Why would Mikan lie at all?

Sweet, innocent, gentle, kind, caring, perfect Mikan.

"She's not the same," Hotaru murmured one night as she stood near one of her closer acquaintances, Nogi. "Mikan… She's different."

The boy was caught off guard and almost seemed to see her hidden tears. He smiled gently. "People change."

Hotaru shook her head. "Not that much. Not Mikan."

But Hotaru knew he wouldn't believe her. Everyone had their own idea of Mikan of course, and theirs is Mother Mikan, kind and gentle, but firm and scolding. Hotaru's is Needy Mikan, like a little sister who tags along.

Besides, who knew? Maybe Hotaru was the one who had the wrong idea of Mikan.

* * *

><p>"Mikan-chan!" Anna and Nonoko called. "Would you like to come to the movies with us? Since Yukihara-kocho is coming, everyone will be there!"<p>

Slight pain etched itself on the brunette's face.

"I'm sorry. I'm busy. Maybe some other time."

The two girls nodded sadly and headed back to their class.

Koko and Kitsuneme approached them. "Doesn't it seem like Mikan-chan wants to leave whenever the principal is coming?"

"Ah… Yes," Anna nodded.

"It does," Nonoko added.

The teenagers pondered the subject for a few moments before abandoning the time for the movie.

* * *

><p>The end of summer came too quickly. The class drowned in remorse as they awaited a meeting with the girl they had become accustomed to being around.<p>

"Hi, everyone! I have necklaces I made! Please accept them as goodbye gifts," Mikan called cheerfully. The group turned to her. Mikan slid the first pendant on Hotaru's neck. She took the time to stop and examine it. A tangerine colored stone hung off the chain, gleaming in the light.

Everyone examined them carefully. Mikan gave them one pained smile.

"Promise me you'll always wear them."

Sumire looked up at her. "What are they for?"

"You'll know when you need them…" she replied.

They were all silent for a moment, wondering what had happened to Mikan to make her act like this.

"Are you coming to say goodbye?" Anna asked.

Mikan shook her head. "I'm sorry. I have something to do."

And so ends the tale of Sakura Mikan.

* * *

><p>Not three months later did they discover something disturbing, when the class searched Mikan's phone number to call her in hopes of keeping in touch.<p>

"We're sorry, but there is no one by the name of Sakura Mikan in our database."

**Okay, this is not the end! I'm going to be irritated if someone asks why it just ended, because it didn't. But my words were chosen for a reason.**

**I didn't plan to write another Gakuen Alice story. I just thought that someone would have already written this basic idea, and when I didn't find anything, I had to write it myself. But I did, and I guess I'm pleased with it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I have no idea what's wrong with fanfiction.**

**I was wondering why I got so many reviews for just one chapter (honestly, this rivals a story of mine that had been viewed over 2,500 times.)**

**I have 21 reviews for one chapter.**

**I'm assuming most of you did that because you thought it had none, so I won't expect that much anymore. But it was nice to see my inbox spammed with stuff that did not come from Facebook. I'm sick of junk.**

**Yeah, that makes me happy.**

Her name is Sakura Mikan.

She was born on January 1st 16 years ago. She has choppy brown hair and brown eyes and beautiful smile that appeals to everyone. She has many friends. She is loved by so many people it's honestly kind of worrying.

That was who Officer Yamazaki was investigating.

Not only had she disappeared suddenly, she was suddenly found not to be Sakura Taro's real granddaughter and then Sakura Taro died.

It couldn't be a coincidence.

From what he had seen on her record, she was a very good kid. That's exactly the kind that would do this. The one nobody expects.

Officer Yamazaki smirked. This would be easy.

Suozuki Rima was his first witness.

"What do you believe 'Sakura Mikan' was like?" he asked.

Suozuki-san shrugged. "Mikan-chan… you have to know her, honestly, but… ever seen one of those magical girl animes? Sailor Moon, Mew Ichigo—she's pretty much exactly like those girls. Or, at least, she was…"

Officer Yamazaki took the slightest hint. "What do mean 'was'?"

Suozuki-san hesitated, as if she wasn't sure how to explain.

"A… a couple years ago… she started acting different. Not too much, but… She just wasn't the same. She was less loud and more secretive, and then she started to look really tired and she stopped wearing pigtails."

Officer Yamazaki nodded. "Did you know that only a few hours after Sakura Mikan was reported missing, her grandfather died?"

"Yes. We all knew he didn't have much time; he was very old, you see. Aiko-chi and Suki-tan… We were trying to decide which one of us she should stay with."

"Do you think it's possible that Sakura Mikan could have murdered her grandfather?"

Suozuki-san looked disgusted. "If you believe that, you don't know Mikan-chan. Plus, the hospital said he died of heart failure. Now, do you have any valid reasons why Mikan-chan would be a criminal, or should I leave?"

* * *

><p>The next was Watanabe Aiko.<p>

"Mikan-chan… She wouldn't kill anybody… I don't think…" the shy girl stuttered. Perfect. She could offer some real insight.

"But if she did, even by accident, where would she go?"

Watanabe-san hesitated before replying, "Tokyo. Her best friend, Imai Hotaru, is at Gakuen Alice there. You should interview her, if you really believe Mikan-chan killed someone. But… didn't Mikan-chan leave 5 hours 42 minutes before Sakura-jii-san passed away?"

The officer cursed. Even her hesitant little friend believed her innocent. What could he do if no one believed his theory? That's the only plausible explanation.

Who was Sakura Mikan anyway?

* * *

><p>"I don't have to tell you anything," his third witness, Kichida Suki, declared.<p>

Officer Yamazaki took a gentler route. "You don't believe Sakura Mikan would do anything wrong?"

"No. Ask anyone," Kichida-san replied.

"But I've already question Suozuki-san and Watanabe-san, and then I'll go see Imai Hotaru-san. Is there anyone else? Taking this from 3 children isn't going to look very good on the report. If you want to help your friend…"

Kichida-san paused, considering everything. "This summer… Imai-chan visited, along with her class. Mikan-chan was with them all summer. You might interview them too. Oh, and Imai-chan's mother. She still lives her."

Officer Yamazaki nodded. "You're free to go."

Perfect. Private school prefects should be easy to convince, after all. And the mom… whatever.

* * *

><p>"Mikan-chan… She's a great kid. I'm sure you're mistaken. She would never do anything wrong. I'm sorry, sir, but I'm sticking by my statement. There is no way that your theory is true," Imai-san stated, staring straight into his eyes.<p>

The detective sighed inwardly. "Have you never seen the crime shows? It's always the one you least expect."

"Yes, but the trouble is not that I don't expect; it's that I know she wouldn't!"

He groaned and asked the lost cause to leave.

* * *

><p>Now that the tests happened to be off their desks, Narumi's class was in the midst of chatter. Imai Hotaru still read her book; Hyuuga Natsume and Nogi Ruka still ignored the rest of the class despite their attempts for it to be otherwise.<p>

It was a mildly cold day, and the girls frowned upon their short skirts that hardly protected them from the cold. At last, Hotaru had reached her limit. She stood up from her desk and turned to Natsume, annoyed.

"Can you be useful for once, Hyuuga, and use your alice so we don't freeze?" she demanded. Natsume didn't exactly answer her, but he did acknowledge she was speaking to him, a feat if you asked his fangirls.

"Don't you have a machine for that, Imai?" he replied. Hotaru nodded.

"Yes, but it's all the way in my room. I don't feel like walking that far."

The class gaped at her laziness.

"Time to watch the news, everyone!" Narumi cooed. Most groaned at his tune, but turned anyway, only half-listening.

"_In other news, a missing girl has been discovered to have been going under an alias._"

The words were casual. It was not a usual occurrence—of course not—but the class wasn't generally all that interested in the daily news. But right now, the hairs on their necks prickled slightly, as if trying to prepare them for what was to come.

"_That is right. Sakura Mikan-shi—_"

Every person in the classroom raised their heads.

Sure, it had been strange when they couldn't find her number, but they figured it was an error. They had too much to do this week—especially with all the tests. There was one in Jinno-sensei's class—to worry about a little error.

This didn't make since.

Sakura Mikan.

The girl who showed them around just last summer, the girl who laughed with them and had fun, loved life and people in general.

_Liar. She hates you. Why else would she not tell you the truth?_

The happy-go-lucky kid fascinated by ducks.

_The girl who didn't even bother to give you her name. She's probably not even a Mikan!_

A person who admired them for themselves, not their alices.

_She was faking. She hated you. She's horrible._

The class shivered.

"M-maybe it's not our Mikan-chan," Anna consoled herself. The words did very little for the class, but they all somewhat clung to it.

Until her picture was thrown on the screen.

Her hair was thrown up into a short ponytail, and she was grinning.

There was no doubt that that was Mikan.

No one said anything, but tears were running down cheeks. It was true.

Whomever the Sakura Mikan they met that summer really was she was a good liar.

* * *

><p>"A-are you okay, Imai-chan?" Nonoko called gently through the door to her lab. "I… I'm sure there's an explanation for all this!"<p>

The door creaked open, held by a robot she now realized looked exactly like Mikan.

"Imai-sama will speak to you."

Nonoko continued inside nervously, staring at the spare metal parts scattered out. Hotaru had her face down on her desk.

"I'm sure… I'm sure there's some reason that Mikan disappeared… Maybe she was kidnapped," Nonoko declared. Hotaru's head rose to reveal her tears.

"I don't think she did it. I never did. It shows how well they know her, thinking she could do something like that," the violet-eyed girl retorted through sobs. "Do you believe it? Tell me, or you owe 10,000 rabbits."

Nonoko looked at the floor shakily. Did she? Sweet Mikan, cheerful Mikan, motherly Mikan…

"No. That's not Mikan."

* * *

><p>"You want to interview some of my students?" the High School Principal repeated curiously. The dark office seemed to place the principal in the higher authority. That annoyed the detective quite a bit. He nodded.<p>

"We're investigating a girl they met a while ago—to see what kind of person they thought she was."

The principal nodded. "And who is this girl?"

"She went by the name of Sakura Mikan. She went missing about 3 months ago, and then a few weeks later, we discovered that she was using an alias. She's also suspected for murdering her grandfather, who passed away only a little after she left."

The words struck a point of interest.

"I heard my students speaking about her. For some reason, I was never able to meet her though… Might I see a picture of her?" the principal asked. Officer Yamazaki furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why Yukihara-san…

He removed a small photo of 13-year-old the tennis team. In the center was Sakura Mikan, her hair still in pigtails, smile wrapped around her whole face, eyes glowing with happiness… She had a tennis racket in her hands and beads of sweat dripping down her sun-tanned skin. The principal snickered. That was the girl he was investigating for homicide? And then he saw it. The faint glow around her was too distinctive.

"When you find the girl, she is to come to this Academy immediately, no matter what she says. Unfortunately, I'm afraid the class you're looking for is in the process of testing, so you'll have to come back tomorrow."

The police officer was obviously irritated, but complied anyway.

Yukihara Kazumi stared at the photo.

Sakura Mikan… She wasn't a murderer. Not his brother's…

The Principal called for his assistant.

"Call Persona. Tell him to send someone to look for the AAO—and not someone from Narumi's class. Don't ask questions that aren't your business. Also, inform him we have an alice who may be held hostage by them."

**I watched a crime show a couple of days ago. It told about how people will say that they always thought their suspected neighbors were normal and they were surprised they'd do that. When asked if they believed they did, they said that they believed the suspect did.**

**It shows how far trust can go.**

**I believe Mikan was someone who could be trusted a lot, so I gave a few people who would believe her.**

**I wanted to publish this earlier, but with all the errors…**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm excited because I got to introduce Nobara. Seriously, I love this character. But soon I'll get to bring Tsubasa and Misaki in too.**

**I only got 10 reviews last chapter, but still—31 total.**

**I'm happy!**

**Anyway, I had to make up a couple of DA students because they would've had graduated by now. Don't worry; I think this is the only chapter they'll appear in.**

The door opened, shedding little light on the girl. Her face was scratched up quite a bit, but she glared at her captors.

"I hate you," she disparaged. "You don't need me just because my mother—"

She was immediately slapped.

"You're very wrong, little alice. You're much better than your mother—power and alice-wise."

* * *

><p>"Nobara."<p>

The oldest girl in the room picked up her head.

"Come here. You have a mission."

She approached the man rather fearfully.

"What… What is it, Persona-sensei?" she stuttered, lowering her head to the floor.

Persona eyed her for a moment. "We think a girl—who might be an alice—was kidnapped by the AAO. You are to recover her—and don't mention this mission to Natsume. Here's her picture. She's the High School Principal's niece."

Nobara was never one to talk back, even though a thousand questions were running through her mind.

"…Yes, Persona-sensei."

* * *

><p>Nobara ducked under the bushes and stared at the walls. Which room would they put her in? Where—<p>

_You're not in the AAO. Why are you here, um… Nobara-senpai, is it?_

Nobara gasped and looked around.

_Who said that?_

_Me, of course… Oh, so my uncle sent you? You can call me Yuki-chan, then. Don't come in to save me though. I have a plan, but it's not time, so just wait outside. I can help you with food and all that. Just trust me, okay?_

The blunette looked down.

_But… Persona-sensei will send more students…_

_Rei-nii'll be fine._

She thought she could almost hear the girl on the other end of the conversation sigh. Why did the AAO take her anyway, if she only had the Telepathy and Mind-Reading alices? Was being the HSP's niece that important?

_I don't have just those alices, Nobara-senpai. In fact, those aren't even mine._

_What do you mean, Yuki-chan?_

_I'll explain when we get back to the Academy. Everyone there'll want to know too…_

* * *

><p>Over the next few weeks, Persona went through most of his students—Hayate, Akemi, Naoki and Naomi, everybody.<p>

"I don't have any, but Yoichi and Natsume," he complained to Yukihara.

The latter merely raised a brow. "Use Yoichi. He's fine."

So Persona called the 9-year-old in.

However, Natsume followed.

"If you think you're sending him on the same mission as the rest of the DA…" he growled.

Persona rolled his eyes. "If you're that worried about him, go with him."

And so he did.

And the staff of Gakuen Alice learned to watch their words.

* * *

><p>"Where are we going, Natsume-nii?" the silver-haired child asked after a few hours worth of walking.<p>

Natsume grunted curiously. "You're supposed to know that."

Yoichi nodded in response.

The crimson-eyed teenager rolled his eyes. Honestly, that kid was certainly something else. He acted so much like Natsume himself, and then, slightly like… that girl whose name is not to be mentioned. Almost like their son.

No, he wouldn't think of her… He—

"Natsume!"

He turned around to see Ruka, the Ice Queen, and the other classmates he hung out with over the summer.

"What're you doing here?" he asked worriedly—not that they could tell.

Imai looked up. "We're looking for the baka. He was looking for you. Our deal is that I will lend you my weapons for 280 rabbits if you help me look for Mikan."

Natsume looked at Ruka. He seemed slightly embarrassed—obviously she had blackmailed him into this.

"Hn."

And they were off.

* * *

><p><em>It's almost time, Nobara.<em>

Said girl sat up, even though she was almost asleep.

"Yuki-chan said something…"

Everyone else stirred eager to hear news.

_It'll take some time before my plan is complete, but I'll see you soon! …Hey, when we get to the Academy, you'll still be one of my favorite senpais, right?_

Nobara smiled and nodded.

Even if Yuki-chan couldn't see her, Nobara knew she had ways of knowing.

* * *

><p>It took them forever to reach the area. As soon as they were there, Natsume's annoyance became apparent.<p>

"You've all just been sitting around here…"

Nobara turned sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Natsume-kun, but Yuki-chan told us to wait…"

He didn't even bother to wonder who "Yuki-chan" was.

At that moment, the brunette swung herself over the edge of the wall.

"I told you I'd be okay, didn't I, Nobara-senpai?"

She then glanced over to the newcomers.

"Okay, I know I have a lot to explain, but right now, we need to run."

And because she was the way she was, nobody questioned her.

* * *

><p>It took 3 hours to loose all the agents. By then, Mikan had tired and she decided she was hungry.<p>

"Yuki, we're not—" Hotaru began.

"Mikan," she interjected.

"…What?"

"My name is Mikan."

"But the news people said Sakura Mikan was a fake name," Anna murmured worriedly.

Mikan blinked. "They just now figured that out? Oh, wow. I must have missed a lot. Okay, now I don't want to explain everything twice, but I'll tell you some thing—if you tell me why I'm on the news—over lunch."

She put on a puppy-dog pout.

Hotaru sighed and agreed.

Mikan then went around the circle, as if taking orders like a waitress.

"Howalon."

She blinked in confusion at the child. "I've never heard of that."

The boy stared at her. She laughed it off.

"Okay, Yo-chan, do you know what everyone wants looks like?"

Yoichi nodded.

An alice stone appeared in her hand. She brushed his bangs up and cupped the stone on his forehead with her hand, before hesitating and making another appear and tucking one into a hidden pouch on her waist.

"This is the Imagination Alice. Just imagine all of these foods on a table cloth."

Yoichi nodded and closed his eyes.

They instantly appeared and most of everyone began to eat. Nobara stared at her.

"M-Mikan, where'd you get that alice?"

Mikan laughed. "From one of the people who gave me food. He didn't even notice I stole it."

The group sat up.

"That's one of my real alices—SEC, which stands for Steal Erase Copy, Insertion, and Nullification. Now, would one of you please explain why I'm on the news?"

Nonoko turned towards her. "They think you killed your grandfather and ran away."

The brunette spit out her rice.

"What? Even Hotaru knew that he had heart problems, and she hasn't gotten a letter from me in, like… 3 years!"

Hotaru nodded.

They ate in silence (for it had been quite a while since Mikan had helped them figure this situation out) for the rest of the time. Every once in a while Mikan would shake her head at someone, inferring that she couldn't answer that question.

In hardly less than an hour, they had finished and cleaned up, ready to continue to the school.

The DA and the regular students had basically split up into groups that you wouldn't have known where going the same place if they weren't both following Mikan.

However, they were aware of each other, and when enough tired, they stopped for a break.

"I'm going for a walk," Mikan called as she walked into the forest. "Be back soon, okay?"

Everyone else began to chat idly. Yoichi found that this was the perfect to disappear from the crowd.

As he walked, he realized that he had to hope he was following her footsteps, and not a random stranger's, or else he had no idea where he'd end up. Of course, this did seem to be about her size feet, and the indentations indicated a rather athletic body…

He was right. There she was, staring into a puddle of water and pulling her up in halves, almost as if she wanted to tie it up.

Yoichi didn't really want to disturb her, especially since she seemed so nostalgic, but…

"Onee-chan."

Mikan turned around to face Yoichi.

"What is it?"

"You… don't like the Academy."

Mikan smiled. "What would make you say that?"

Yoichi stared.

"You're not a spy, are you?"

Mikan shook her head.

"Do you know who I am, Yo-chan?"

"You're…" Yoichi paused and looked around. "Natsume-nii says you're Mikan, Nobara-senpai says you're Yuki-chan, Persona-sensei says you're the High School Principal's niece, and…"

"Who do you think I am?" Mikan asked softly.

Yoichi paused and looked at her.

"…Mi— …Mikan-nee."

"Do you trust me?"

The boy nodded eagerly.

"Yo-chan, I am all of those things and none at the same time. My name is not Sakura Mikan, but I am her. I am not Yuki-chan, but I should be. I did not grow up as her, but I am his niece. I am not your real sister, but…"

For the next few minutes, Mikan sobbed on the forest floor. Yoichi watched and waited for her to return to their conversation.

When she finally looked up, she brushed away the tears from her eyes.

"Can you keep a secret, Yo-chan? None of this happened, okay?"

Yoichi watched as she took her place back at the head of the group, once more leaving him wondering exactly who Mikan was.

**Well, that's about it. This will probably be about 5 chapters, so… Well, that's why it's done so quickly.**

**I really like writing this, and I think next chapter will be my favorite.**

**Mikan's explanation is just going to be… fun! Just like in the Time Travel Arc.**

**Who didn't enjoy hearing about Yuka and Izumi?**

**And let's not forget Kaoru!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry this is so late. Dance practice started and then my birthday came and then we had finals, but now it's the last half day of school. (Sorry, my friend made that joke. I think it's hilarious, except that when talk about days we round up. I remembered too late to tell him though.)**

**I never did reply to Sayonara's question. Its 3rd person limited, but it switches focuses frequently.**

**By the way, I'm going to write a sister fic to this one. It will be Mikan's story in more detail, but I won't be posting it for a while. Sorry, but I need to get it planned a little more.**

**This is the last chapter! Sorry! It was shorter than I intended.**

**Edit: I was told some people didn't like the ending, so I decided to rewrite it and make it what I originally thought about.**

"Mikan-chan," the Principal called carefully as the students appeared in front of the Academy gates. She turned and nodded in response.

"I do have an explanation." The reply was a little too swift, as if she had prepared for the confrontation. "But it will have to be quick. And I can't go inside."

Mikan leaned on a tree and slid down, while everyone else (except the principal, who stood quietly at the gates) kneeled in front of her. Mikan pushed her hair behind her ears-it was obvious that she didn't care for it's chopped off length, but put up with it for some reason.

"…I have to tell two stories. They're kind of different, but without each other, you couldn't understand some of it. Who's do you want first—Yuka's or mine?"

Nobody seemed to know quite how to answer. Most of them had never heard of Yuka. They turned to Natsume, but that name made him look like he had just been slapped in the face.

Nonoko looked up eventually. "Just tell us in time order please."

Mikan nodded.

"My mother—"

"Yuka's your mother?"

The brunette forced a smile. "Yes. She prefers I call her Yuka because she thinks she's too young for Okaa-san."

Hotaru knew that this must have been a difficult thing for Mikan—growing up without a mother for so many years, finding her, and not being able to call her by that. This didn't faze her storytelling though.

"My mother lived in this Academy from age 5 until she was about 19. While she was here, she met my father, Yukihara Izumi, who was a teacher. By a freak accident, he was killed while she was carrying me. Yuka realized what things were happening here, so she left. Before that, however, she told Narumi-sensei to stay here and become a teacher—to protect kids from the inside. She also told Shiki-san where she was going too.

"First, Yuka went to her family, but they didn't want to take care of her. Then, my mom went to her old best friend—Hyuuga neé Igarashi Kaoru, Natsume's mother. I was born while she stayed there. But she decided she didn't want to be a burden and left.

"When I was about a year old, we were traveling and we stopped in my village. I was sick and Yuka was tired. She tried to move and landed on Jii-chan's porch. Jii-chan opened the door and found us.

"Yuka explained what had happened—alices and all. Jii-chan was nice enough to call for a doctor and used his last name for me. Then agents came looking for her, so she left me with Jii-chan. I ended up growing up there.

"For a while, she worked undercover at the AAO, but they learned of her intentions, so she had to leave."

They all stared at her, waiting for her to continue. Mikan turned her gaze to the floor.

"Now it's my story…

"I grew up with Jii-chan, obviously, and I met Hotaru, who became my best friend."

Hotaru seemed significantly proud at the small recognition.

"After she came here, I kind of went on with my life for a little bit. A couple months after I turned twelve, I came home to find Yuka sitting on the porch. In case you didn't know, Yuka has the same color hair and eyes as me, so it's kind of hard not to say we're related.

"She introduced herself as my mother, and then she explained about alices. She told me about mine—Nullification and SEC—and she trained me for a couple months. But she also told me all about my family and everything. Yuka stayed for a pretty long time and I kind of got used to having a mother around. I asked her why her hair was so short one day, and she said it's easier to keep clean when she's hiding. I did the same thing because... It seemed like a good idea.

"Eventually she had to leave because she didn't want to be caught. I didn't really want to come here, so I just kept everything I knew a secret.

"When Hotaru came back, I was happy to see her and all, but… she was with the Academy, so I had to be as careful as possible." Mikan's motherly smile, full of hopes and bittersweet sugar, greeted them. "I guess it wasn't enough."

The Principal nodded contritely.

"You're safe here, Mikan. The Elementary Principal retired a couple years ago."

The brunette visibly relaxed. Tears threatened to pour out, but like the strong girl she was, she held them back. Mikan turned to her peers. "I hope you can understand why I had to lie. I was trying to help Yuka."

Most of them tried to nod, but they couldn't seem to do it.

"Uncle, I'm supposed to meet Yuka soon. It's here in Tokyo. I'll come to the Academy right after I see her, but I don't want her to worry. Please," she begged. Her uncle sighed.

"Go, and I'll say you're in transportation. I'll handle everything about the news too... Just stay out of trouble." With that, he entered the premises.

She laughed and answered even though he would never hear it. "I don't think that's possible."

Her would-be classmates stared on and watched as Mikan turned to them.

"I... I'm sorry about all of this. The Academy isn't my home... and it just can't be. I wish I could stay with you all, but I have to leave. Goodbye, everyone." Mikan swirled around and started to leave, but paused. Facing them for the final time, she leaned up and kissed Natsume's cheek. And with that Yukihara Mikan-better known as Sakura-disappeared.

* * *

><p>A brunette sipped her tea in a coffeehouse near the school she was supposed to attend. Several thoughts crossed her mind about it, but she had eventually decided that she might return and teach. With her alice, she could train nearly any other. She smiled. The place did seem nice now that it had been reformed. The woman slurped down the last of her drink. She then threw the cup away and went to pay for a brownie.<p>

"Excuse me, but were you the girl on the news a couple years ago? The fake name, murder, framing, all that?" the pink-haired cashier asked.

The woman nodded. "Yes. I'm Yukihara Mikan."

"Andou Misaki... You know, I had some juniors who knew you. Hyuuga, Kokoroyomi, Imai, Nogi-those," the woman behind the counter said with a grin. "In fact, I have one of their numbers if you'd like to get in touch."

"I... Um, I'd prefer for them to get mine instead, Misaki-sempai." Misaki gave her a look. "What? I've always wanted a sempai and I never really got to have one..."

Misaki laughed. "I like you, kid. Well, my husband and I don't normally hire anyone... I have the cloning alice... but I'd like you to work here. Do you want to?"

Mikan hesitated and thought about her plans. "Well, okay. Um... Umenomiya Anna's birthday's tomorrow... Would you mind _suggesting_ that they come here?" Her devious smile glinted. Misaki laughed.

"Sure. Come on in, Mikan-chan."

Because despite what many people would think, Yukihara Mikan really wasn't that much of a mystery.

**This is the **_**real**_** end. I thought it through more, and you know, I like it better. Hints just enough at romances, but keeps the platonic tone of the piece, I think.**

**By the way, the song "Everything You Want"? Some people seem to think it fits Mikan. I believe it fits Yuka much better. "Past the places where you used to learn"? "Anger of angels who won't return"?**

"**He means nothing to you and you don't know why"?**

**Those few lines where enough to convince me.**

**Also, I'm going to try to make a "cliché" seem less cliché. How?**

…**Mikan's idiotic-ness is going to make it completely impossible for anything to go on! (By the way, I mean denseness. I don't think she's so stupid that she's horrible in all subjects. She might even be smart in the book sense.)**

**However, I'm not entirely sure of what cliché to use. Send me an idea in and you will be credited!**

**Goodbye for the time being!**

**Lots of love and well wishes,**

**Procrastination Fairy**


End file.
